Legend of Zelda: History's Been Changed
by Shae
Summary: Really wacked out OoT novel. Not what your used to...
1. Prologue- Desert Child

Disclaimer: I don't own Zelda or any of the Zelda characters, they belong to Nintendo. Cara is my brainchild, please don't use her without asking.  
  
Ok! OoT novel, sorta. I went through and messed up the story line till I thought it looked cool and added a character or two. Enjoy!  
  
Prologue: Desert Child  
  
  
  
Dark shadows cast by the moonlight glided silently over the tall grasses of Hyrule Field. Perish hawks, nocturnal birds that hunted and ate carrion alike. The bluish buzzards circled a thicket menacingly, their hungry red eyes searching for a way to penetrate the thorned fortress where they could sense a source of food.  
  
One of the birds dropped, settling on a branch of the obstacle. It gripped a smaller branch in it's beak and shook. But even that strong beak, with it's top half split at the tip so that it's jaw rested against the two halves to provide for maximum leverage could not break the thick vine. It cranged it's long neck up towards the sky and voiced it's displeasure before flying off.  
  
The raptor soared across the field till near dawn until it reached it's home, the desert. It alighted on a dead tree and watched the scene below as the sun rose over Gerudo's Fortress, playing across the bronze-brown hair of one of the desert's inhabitants.  
  
Cara shook the shimmering tresses carelessly, her mind elsewhere. She gazed out on the various floors of the fortress.  
  
Let's see if I can make three levels this time. She thought to herself.  
  
She backed up, ran, and launched herself into air, intending to land several flights below. Her leap was stopped midway though, as she was held back by the harness she wore.  
  
The harnesses that young Gerudoes wore when at home served the same purpose as scruff on a kitten's neck, allowing adults to pick them up and leave them hanging helplessly.  
  
Cara rotated slowly, until two fire colored eyes met her rusty gaze.  
  
"Daddy!" she squealed. "Put me down!" The Gerudo gaze her a disapproving glare.  
  
"Just what was it you were supposed to be doing?" he asked her sternly. The little girl's face turned pale, though it was almost impossible to notice.  
  
"Oops", she murmured weakly. "Getting dressed in something nice to go to..." Ganondorf didn't allow her the chance to finish, dropping her like a sack of potatoes.  
  
"Get to it!" he roared, sending the child scrambling to her room. He sighed in disgust. "Why did I ever let you keep her when you brought her home?" he asked the big gray hound beside him, ruffling it's shaggy mane. He turned and stalked off as the dog ran after her young charge. 


	2. Side by Side- The Heiresses' First Battl...

Disclaimer: Don't own LOZ or any of it's characters. They belong to Nintendo.  
  
Cara is brainchild, don't use without asking, thank you.  
  
Wehee! I actually got it up! I know this is going slow right now, but after the next two chapters or so (unless some idea pops in my head) things will progess much more quickly.  
  
  
  
Chapter One: Side by Side- The Heiresses' First Battle  
  
  
  
  
  
"But Daddy..." came the small voice. "I thought the Gerudoes were our enemies." The king smiled down at his daughter.  
  
"Were our enemies is the key phrase there, Zelda", he answered gently. "Now they want peace, as all our neighbors do." Zelda frowned. She wasn't so sure of that. She was helpless to protest though, and decided to take her mind off of the matter. She turned her attention instead, to a butterfly, chasing the winged insect along the path down to the gate of the castle grounds while her father followed behind on horseback.  
  
The butterfly stopped just beyond the gate and landed on a flower. Zelda stooped and coaxed it onto her finger, just before the flower disappeared into a brown muzzle.  
  
Zelda gasped and looked up, her wide eyes meeting those of a young girl in Gerudo garb, seated on a patch-coated pony. She was such and odd sight to the young princess that she couldn't help staring. She was quite clearly not a Gerudo. Her brown hair was the first tip off, no Gerudo had hair any other color than red, it just didn't happen. And second was her skin, the exact opposite of the deeply tanned Gerudo. Even she, the young Hylian princess expected to stay out of the sun, was not so fair. Fair, an understatement. It was just plain pale, like the white scales of a Zora. Zelda's thoughts were broken as menacing snort sounded from around the corner, and a giant monster that passed for a black war horse came up behind the pinto. The Gerudo king, Ganondorf, looked down at her with a stern expression that quickly turned to a smile. She backpedaled and bumped into her father's mount.  
  
The two monarchs nodded their heads in mutual respect.  
  
"And who is this?" the king asked, his serious yet gentle gaze falling on the fox-eyed girl at Ganondorf's side.  
  
"My surrogate daughter", the Gerudo answered. "This is Cara. Say hello dear." The little girl looked up from Zelda and smiled meekly.  
  
"Hello", she said with soft shyness. Then her eyes were quickly drawn away as the butterfly flew off Zelda's finger and over the heads of the riders. Hakarian chuckled as both the girls watched the flitting creature with utter fascination. They were so innocent at their age.  
  
Cara dismounted and the two girls set to quietly chattering about their surroundings as they followed behind their fathers. Two years younger than Zelda, Cara had yet to conquer the hyper tendencies of early childhood. The poor Hylian princess was left wondering if the eight year old's mouth would ever stop moving, until they crossed the drawbridge into the castle's courtyard's.  
  
Cara fell silent then, staring in awe at the high walls and elaborate statues they passed. She had never seen the likes of them in person. There were history books at the fortress that had illustrations of similar things though. From back in the Gerudoes' homeland across the sea.  
  
Gerudonia, Cara sighed silently at the thought of the beautiful land she'd so often been told of. She wondered why Ganondorf had ever chosen to leave it's mist covered mountains and moors for a land mostly flat and dull as Hyrule was. Not that she had ever known it to miss, but the very thought marshes combined with the barren peaks was much more welcoming than the changing seasons of Hyrule that seemed so foreign to her.  
  
The annoying wet springs, the dry summers with all their bright greens and loud birds, the windy falls, and winter. Cara shuddered at the very thought of the snow blanketing the ground everywhere but the peak of Death Mountain and the desert. Thank goodness for the desert and it's constantly dry, warm weather. The nights could be cold in the winter, but sometimes it was welcome.  
  
The two kings ignored their daughters' proceedings, talking of their own matters. Something, that after the children had run out things to talk about, was not to be tolerated by them.  
  
"Daddy", Cara interrupted suddenly. "I'm bored!" Ganondorf frowned at her and prepared to correct her, but Zelda cut him off.  
  
"Can I go and get Leat so Cara and I can go ride?" She yanked at her father's sleeve as she begged, forcing her eyes to tear up. Cara knew now to simply look at Ganondorf expectantly, and before long the two girls were far from their Fathers' sides.  
  
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Cara paused just beyond the castle drawbridge and glanced about nervously.  
  
"There's someone following us", she whispered in Zelda's ear. The princess nodded with knowing irritation.  
  
"Impa", she whispered back. "My nursemaid." Cara's eyes lit up dangerously and she leaned closer to Zelda.  
  
"Cara to lose her?" The was no reply needed to her question. Merchants and shoppers alike scrambled to get themselves and their belongings out of the way as the two girls steered their mounts through the crowded market place. At a full on gallop, Cara's pony thundered past the startled guards at the city gates with Zelda's white stallion close in tow.  
  
A dark figure slipped through and away from the townsfolk without anyone even seeing it. Impa stared after the riders, knowing hat she needed her mare if she was to have any chance of catching them. Not following after them right away too patience, patience she easily had. No member of the shadow folk, the Sheikah, ever lost a trail. She only hoped the young princesses would be able to stay away from any danger until she found them. Her hopes were not to be satisfied.  
  
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"I don't think you understand", Ganondorf said with deliberate slowness. "I said the Gerudoes want to be the Hylians' allies, not their subjects." Hakarian released an exasperated sigh.  
  
"All I'm asking for is..."  
  
"For us to ask permission before we come onto Hylian soil, and it's unacceptable!" Ganondorf's eyes blazed with fury. "The Gorons and Zora come and go as they please, as do the Sheikah. Of course, you couldn't stop the elusive shadow folk from doing anything, but those rouges are a subject to be discussed later. Do not try to single us out, Hakarian. You would regret it dearly." The other man raised his hands submissively.  
  
"No need for threats", he assured Ganondorf. "These are only conditions suggested by my people. They need not be agreed upon, I find most of them and silly as you do." The Gerudo nodded slightly, his eyes trained on something to the side.  
  
"You must understand", he said wearily as he turned back. "This is so hard for all of us. We have never had to co-exist with another race before we came here." Hakarian nodded knowingly.  
  
"I find this just as tiring as you do", he agreed. "Perhaps we need a walk in the courtyards to clear our heads." He rose and walked out, motioning for Ganondorf to follow.  
  
"Very well", Ganondorf agreed, then muttered under his breath. "You old fool!"  
  
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One would not have been able to tell the two girls apart as they rode side by side. Covered from top to bottom in mud, as were their horses, they seemed to be only one rider beside a mirror. They were oblivious to the rain that had created the mud, finding it an added bonus to their antics. Stopping abruptly in mid gales of laughter, Zelda looked about uncertainly.  
  
"Where are we?", she asked Cara, who had to slow to a nervous chuckle before she was calm enough to answer. When she did, it wasn't what Zelda wanted to hear.  
  
"Would you believe I don't know?" They stared at each other for a few moments in stunned silence.  
  
"Well", Zelda said finally. "We'll just have to go back the way we came." Cara gave her a condescending look.  
  
"Just one problem with that", she replied. "It's raining, our tracks have been washed away." They fell into silence again, and this time, it wasn't one of them who broke it. Cara's head whipped towards the sky at the sound of the raptor's cry.  
  
"Ride!", she ordered. She whipped the pony around and took off in the opposite direction. Zelda stared after her in wonder for a moment, but when the cry was repeated with many more voices she didn't hesitate to follow behind.  
  
"What are we running from?!", she asked as she came up beside Cara.  
  
"Perish hawks", she replied. "The most dangerous animals in Hyrule. They'll tear any other living thing apart in seconds." Zelda eyes widened considerably, and she whipped her stallion forward. But even the pair of carefully bred mounts could not beat the airborne predators.  
  
The girls were dismounted by the bloodthirsty birds, who wasted no time in tearing at their clothes and hair. Their screams drowned out the thunder and birds as they thrashed in their attempts to escape. Cara grabbed Zelda's hand and pulled her out of the hoard for a moment, only to be covered again. Not ready to give up she tried again and again, using a small knife to slash the birds away. But as she had known when she first heard the cry, there were far to many of them. Red streaks covered her arms, face, legs as the persistent buzzards continued their assault.  
  
Unable to find a way to run, Cara gave up and attempted the next best thing. She pushed Zelda underneath a slab of stone and backed in after her.  
  
She set to slashing again, hoping enough blood would draw the perish hawks attention to their own comrades and turn them upon themselves. This was not to be so. The birds persisted, and when a bolder one snatched her knife, she knew the fight was over. Or at least she thought it was.  
  
The mass of feathers parted as a small object shot through it and hit the stone above Cara's head. Another projectile flew through the air, and one of the birds dropped. Then the scene became utter chaos. Feathers and blood were everywhere, accompanied by flashes of light, the scraping of steel on flesh, and yet more of the pebble sized weapons.  
  
When all was finally cleared as the perish hawks retreated, Cara looked up into a pair of sapphires lit by a bolt of lightning. Then, her weariness overcame her as it had Zelda long ago. 


	3. Chapter two - Title undecided

Whee! Update! It's short, but hopefully it'll get me going here. I'll get more up as soon as I can get it written.  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own Zelda, not trying to, never will.  
  
Again, Cara is my brainchild.  
  
  
  
  
  
Zelda kicked a dead deku baba, sending a sparking shower of deku nuts everywhere. Normally, she would've gotten great amusement out of the activity. Not today though. Not while she was grounded, restricted to the castle courtyards. Her father had been enraged when Impa had brought the three of them back.  
  
Three, Zelda frowned. She didn't even remember the boy. Cara had done nothing but boast his skill until she and Ganondorf had left though. Apparently he had saved their lives the previous week. He'd been graciously rewarded by both monarchs for it too. Ganondorf had given him a golden rupee and her father had granted him a month-long stay at the castle.  
  
The princess had to admit she was glad for his company. The palace guards weren't ones for words, and Impa was forcing her to recite Sheikah sayings that warned against her recent actions. This boy was a breath of fresh air. The two of them spent time talking of all sorts of things, from the simple beauty of clouds to the more serious matters of the suspicious Gerudo king. While Link had taken extreme pleasure in playing pranks or getting into trouble with Cara, he was more serious a person than he let on. He too found Ganondorf a shady character, doggedly vowing to protect Zelda and everybody else should their fears of the desert man ever be given reason.  
  
"Hello princess."  
  
Speaking of Hyrule's self-proclaimed guardian, Zelda thought wryly, smiling as she turned to face him.  
  
"Link," she answered, trying and failing not to sound too formal. "Where have you been all morning?" She realized suddenly that he was wet as he gave her an impish grin.  
  
"Well, don't tell you nursemaid," he whispered. "But I went swimming in one of the fountains." Zelda's formal front was shattered as she clapped both hands over her mouth in shock.  
  
"You what?!" Link's grin widened. He turned and began walking down the pathway calmly, as if he were oblivious to his awkward appearance. His shoes were making a lot of sound too, and leaving small puddles behind. Zelda shook her head and chased after him.  
  
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Cara sighed and stretched slowly, watching a nervous stallion prance about in the coral below. Her first stud horse. She'd been waiting a year for him, Ganondorf had sent for him from overseas where there was less human controlled breeding and the horses' blood was untainted with any chance of inbreeding. This stallion would sire a completely different type of animal from the standard rusty or dust brown creatures native to Hyrule. Such a beautiful, free animal, and Cara could not even touch him.  
  
Not for two weeks any way, a punishment she would easily bear. Considering it was the only one, it seemed rather reasonable.  
  
Can't touch your new horse, but you get off Scott free. She thought to herself. A pretty good deal, considering what had happened to the Hylian princess. Ganondorf understood she'd been through enough already. Live and learn, what didn't kill you only made you stronger, that sort of thing was the Gerudo way in raising children. If it didn't get them killed, it became a lesson for future events. If it did kill them, well you couldn't do anything to top that punishment could you? Things changed once the child hit the teens, adulthood as far as the Gerudos' were concerned, and there were consequences attached to their action. For now though, Cara knew, she and any other child in the fortress could get away with almost anything as long as they weren't caught in the act.  
  
She took her little whistle out from around her neck and began to play a haunting tune her father had composed. Her stallion pranced over and stared up at the window, eyeing her curiously. Cara smiled. Just because she couldn't touch him didn't mean she couldn't get to know him.  
  
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Impa shook her head as she watched the two children running amuck in the castle courtyard. Would Zelda be all right without her around?  
  
"Ma'am, you horse is ready." Impa nodded to the stable hand and took her mare's reigns from him. Then she gave a final glance at the princess, and then one at the figure under a willow tree who nodded back reassuringly. She mounted and turned the horse towards the city gates, and the mountains far beyond.  
  
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Author's note: Ok, so what do you think? Let me know and I'll have more for you to read as soon as I can here. 


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